Mars Breakthrough: Abundant Underground Water Could Form a Global Ocean – Astounding New Study Reveals
A recent study has revealed that Mars could harbor substantial amounts of water beneath its surface, potentially enough to form a global ocean. The findings, released on Monday, are derived from seismic data collected by NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which monitored over 1,300 marsquakes before its operations ceased two years ago.
Vashan Wright, the lead scientist from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, explained that this water is likely located between 7 to 12 miles deep in the Martian crust, according to ABC News. The water is believed to have seeped into underground cracks billions of years ago, back when Mars had surface rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans.
Wright emphasized that the discovery of water does not imply the immediate presence of life on Mars. “The presence of water on Mars doesn’t automatically mean it supports life. Rather, our findings suggest there are environments on Mars with the potential to be habitable,” he told ABC News.
The research team utilized computer models alongside InSight’s seismic data, concluding that underground water is the most plausible explanation for their observations. Their study has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wright added that if the underground water found near InSight’s location at Elysium Planitia, close to the Martian equator, is indicative of the entire planet, it could equate to a global ocean up to two kilometers deep.
To confirm these findings, further exploration with drilling equipment would be necessary to search for signs of microbial life. Although the InSight lander is no longer operational, scientists continue to analyze data collected from 2018 to 2022, seeking further insights into Mars’ interior. Historically, Mars was wet over much of its surface more than 3 billion years ago, but much of this surface water has likely either escaped into space or become buried underground as the planet’s atmosphere thinned.
Original Story https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/science/mars-may-have-enough-underground-water-to-form-a-global-ocean-9510447/
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